November 21, 2024
COUNTRY Financial (COUNTRY) and Heartland Community College (Heartland) are pleased to announce plans for the new COUNTRY Financial Trail at Heartland and restoration of the prairie on the east side of the campus.
The mile-long trail will include access from the Constitution Trail at Raab Road, the Heartland campus at Vermillion Way, and The Corn Crib parking lot, and will circle Birky Pond and border the newly restored prairie. Visitors to the trail can enjoy:
The project will include the restoration of 13 acres of native prairie that borders the north side of Birky Pond. Invasive species will be removed, and native plants will be planted to support pollinators and other wildlife.
Funding for the trail and the prairie restoration are additions to a multi-year investment. COUNTRY also supports the COUNTRY Financial Scholars program (now in its fourth year), which provides scholarship assistance, mentorship and technology support to high school students in McLean County. COUNTRY and Heartland also partnered to create a Claims Apprenticeship program to connect local talent with claims roles at COUNTRY.
“COUNTRY has had a longstanding, successful partnership with Heartland Community College that has led to the development of exceptional talent here in Bloomington-Normal,” said Jim Jacobs, CEO at COUNTRY Financial. “We are excited to build on that success with this additional investment at Heartland, which will create a place where everyone, including the hundreds of COUNTRY employees living here, can gather and connect.”
The COUNTRY Financial Trail will connect to the existing Constitution Trail that runs through Normal and Bloomington.
“This commitment from COUNTRY, alongside a grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, is an example of a public/private partnership that serves a mutual goal to enrich lives in the communities we serve,” said Heartland President Keith Cornille. “Not only are we linking our campus to the existing Constitution Trail, but we are connecting the community with the native prairie to be restored around the pond and creating another space where individuals can relax, exercise, and learn.”
Construction of the trail is planned to begin in the Spring of 2025 and be completed in July 2025.
Carrie Skogsberg, COUNTRY Financial
carrie.skogsberg@countryfinancial.com
309-821-4175
Steve Fast, Heartland Community College
steve.fast@heartland.edu
309-268-8186
COUNTRY Financial® is a family of affiliated companies (collectively, COUNTRY) located in Bloomington, IL. Learn more about who we are.
About COUNTRY Financial®
COUNTRY Financial is a marketing name for COUNTRY Life Insurance Company®, COUNTRY Mutual Insurance Company® and their respective subsidiaries, located in Bloomington, Ill. COUNTRY Financial serves about one million households and businesses throughout the United States and offers a wide range of insurance and financial products and services.
About Heartland Community College
Heartland Community College provides accessible, innovative learning opportunities with degree and certificate programs at three campus locations In Normal, Pontiac, and Lincoln, Illinois. HCC serves Illinois Community College District 540, a geographic corridor that extends along Interstate Highway 55 in Illinois, roughly from Pontiac to Lincoln.